We may be heading into autumn, but you can always cheer yourself up with an ice cream and Cumbria’s crop of handmade manufacturers have just the ripple, gelato, cone or sorbet to do the trick.


For farmer Roger Sedgwick the decision to diversify into ice cream came in 2009 after Dairy Farmers of Great Britain, the cooperative he was supplying, went into receivership.
Roger and wife Suzan struck on the idea of making their own ice cream and Howgill Fellside Ice Cream was born in 2011, producing a range of different flavours with milk from their herd of Friesians, Jersey and Jersey-Friesian cross cattle.
They joined the Ice Cream Alliance and took part in a course in ice cream making and were soon producing their own vanilla, strawberry and mint flavours.
Over the years the selection has grown to around 14 varieties including Howgill Hurricane, with cinder toffee and chocolate swirls, as well as toffee fudge, raspberry ripple, ginger and lime, whisky and marmalade, mango and raspberry and ricotta cheese and passion fruit.
Further north, at Park House Farm, Torpenhow, Jenny and Mike Lee have also diversified by producing delicious gelato alongside their existing range of cheese. 
The farm had already built a great reputation for its Torpenhow Cheese Company brand, making award-winning fare from their organic, 100 per cent pasture-fed dairy herd.

Two years ago they teamed up with Matthew Stockwell to start Three Hills Gelato on the farm, drawing on his experience making and selling gelato in Keswick.
Matthew first began making gelato at dad Andrew’s Italian restaurant Casa Bella 11 years ago, then via his own shop at the restaurant.

(Image: Plain Creative LTD)

The business in Keswick grew and Matthew contacted Mark and Jenny two years ago with the proposal to go into business together by setting up a dedicated gelato making facility on the farm, investing in machinery to upscale production.
It now supplies gelato to catering company Caterite, in Embleton, food retailer Cranstons and hotels, restaurants and cafes across the county, all made from milk and cream from the farm.
Gelato differs from ice cream by having a lower percentage of fat and being denser with less air whipped into the mixture, giving it a smooth, silky texture. It is also served slightly warmer for extra flavour.